Syllabus: GS-III & V: Agriculture & Inclusive Development

Why in the News?

The Assam government has initiated a major reform by deciding to provide land pattas to tea garden workers, ending over 200 years of landlessness among the community.

More About the News

  • For the first time since the establishment of Assam’s tea industry in the 19th century, tea garden workers—a community that has contributed immensely to Assam’s economy and identity—are being given ownership rights over land. 
  • Senior leaders from the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) have called this move a transformational step that restores dignity, economic agency and social security.

Historical Context: 200 years of landlessness

  • Tea plantations began in Assam after the British annexation of the region.
  • Workers were brought from Chota Nagpur, Santhal Pargana, Ranchi, Palamu, Hazaribagh, Manbhum, Singhbhum, comprising Munda, Kharia, Oraon, Gond, Santhal, and Oriya communities.
  • This heterogeneous group evolved into the Tea Garden Labour Community, one of Assam’s most distinct socio-cultural groups.
  • Despite their deep roots in Assam, they remained landless, living in “labour lines’’ without ownership rights.
  • In 1823, the British first discovered tea plants in Sadiya in Tinsukia. After which the first tea plantation was started in Chabua in Dibrugarh. 
  • From the mid-19th century to 1960, the East India Company imported a large number of plantation laborers into Assam under the Indian Emigration Act, 1873.
    • The labourers were appointed mainly through two systems, i.e. Contractor system and Sardari system.

1. Recruitment through the Contractor (Arkati) System

In the early phase of tea plantation development, labourers were recruited under the Contractor System, also known as the Free Contractor System, where private labour contractors called Arkatis freely supplied labour across tea gardens in Assam and outside.

  • Contractors lured poor tribal families with false promises of high wages and easy work.
  • Only healthy workers were selected; sick, injured or weak persons were abandoned without food or medical care.
  • Labourers signed contracts binding them for fixed periods, after which they were supposed to return home — but this rarely happened.
  • The entire system was marked by fraud, coercion, and extreme human rights violations, prompting later government enquiry committees to call it an “unsatisfactory and inhumane system”.

2. Shift to the Sardari System

Due to growing criticism, the Contractor System was gradually replaced by the Sardari System.

  • Here, Sardars — trusted labourers already working in the gardens — were appointed to recruit new workers.
  • Every year during the recruitment season (November to February), Sardars persuade men and women from their home regions to migrate by promising land, prosperity and a settled life.
  • Planters preferred recruiting families, as they were more likely to stay permanently and reduce labour turnover.
  • Each Sardar received commissions for bringing 20 or more workers.
     This system was seen as comparatively better but still remained exploitative.

3. Abolition of the Contractor System (1915) & Rise of Tea District Labour Association (1917)

  • The Assam Labour and Emigration Act, 1915 officially abolished the Contractor System.
  • In 1917, tea planters collectively formed the Tea District Labour Association (TDLA), which centrally handled all recruitment.
  • Recruitment from outside Assam continued until 1959, and stopped completely in 1960, leading to the dissolution of TDLA.
     Since then, hiring has been limited to unemployed workers within Assam, ending nearly 90 years of organised labour import.

Significance of this Move

Land is more than property — it represents identity, security and bargaining power. Tea garden workers faced three chronic problems:

1. No access to formal credit

Because they lacked land, workers could not mortgage property for loans, forcing them to borrow from private lenders at exploitative interest rates.

2. No ability to furnish bail for arrested individuals

Legal procedures require a bailer to own land. This resulted in cases where even after court orders, people remained in jail because no one in the labour lines met the requirement.

3. No freedom to repair or expand homes

Garden management often prevented workers from modifying or improving their houses. Even building a small tin roof was restricted.

Government’s land allotment initiative

The scheme will first be implemented in Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL) estates.
 Key points:

  • The government will not touch plantation land, factories or clubs.
  • Pattas will be issued for labour line areas, which are often on government-leased land.
  • The reform aligns with larger goals of social justice, inclusivity and rural empowerment.

This initiative is in harmony with national frameworks such as:

  • Forest Rights Act, 2006 (recognising rights of traditional forest-dwelling communities)
  • Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Rural (housing security)
  • National Rural Livelihood Mission (financial inclusion)

Socio-economic benefits

  • Access to bank loans → entrepreneurship, education, health, home improvement
  • Legal empowerment → ability to furnish bail and participate fully in justice mechanisms
  • Housing security → improved living conditions and dignity
  • End of exploitation by private moneylenders
  • Strengthening of identity within the larger Assamese society

Broader significance

This move bridges a historic injustice and sets the stage for stronger integration of tea communities within Assam’s socio-economic mainstream. It also fulfils a longstanding demand of organisations like ACMS, giving lakhs of families renewed security after generations of displacement and uncertainty.

Exam Hook (One Line)

Assam begins issuing land pattas to tea garden workers, ending 200 years of landlessness and improving access to credit, legal rights, and housing security.

Mains Angle

Q. Discuss the significance of land allotment to Assam’s tea garden workers in correcting historical injustices and promoting socio-economic empowerment.

Source

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Recent Posts

Start Yours at Ajmal IAS – with Mentorship StrategyDisciplineClarityResults that Drives Success

Your dream deserves this moment — begin it here.